Putin admits 'spontaneous' Ukraine invasion miscalculated
- The Russian army invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, without significant preparation - stated Vladimir Putin during the annual conference, which lasted four hours. According to him, it was supposedly a "spontaneous" decision similar to Crimea.
Many of the details provided by Russian media or government representatives are elements of propaganda. Such reports are part of the information warfare conducted by the Russian Federation.
The Russian army invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, "without significant preparation" - stated President Vladimir Putin during the annual grand conference with Russians.
According to him, similar to Crimea, it was supposedly a "spontaneous" decision. - Why did we start? Because we could no longer stand still, endure, and wait for the situation to worsen for us - stated the dictator.
Simultaneously, he hinted that he would have attacked Ukraine regardless, but if he could go back in time, he would have done it sooner. - The decision made at the beginning of 2022 should have been made earlier. That's first. Secondly - knowing this, preparations for these actions, including the special military operation, should have started earlier - emphasized Putin.
He also admitted that the war in Ukraine has become "a serious challenge for the whole country". Putin complained that he "jokes less frequently and almost stopped laughing," but simultaneously boasted that he has improved his strategic skills.
Annual Putin conference. He spoke in front of a falsified map
During the four-hour speech, the Kremlin resident talked not only about the war in Ukraine but also about the dethronement of Bashar al-Assad, a more aggressive nuclear doctrine, and the price of butter.
Putin spoke in front of a map of the Russian Federation, whose borders were expanded with unlawfully annexed Ukrainian territories. The politician answered questions from the audience, foreign journalists, and retirees, although, as the BBC writes, the entire event was precisely planned and controlled.
BBC journalist Steve Rosenberg asked Putin whether he thought the country was in better condition than 25 years ago when Boris Yeltsin handed over power. The president replied that Russia had regained its "sovereignty."
Russia invaded Ukraine. They were not ready for resistance
Earlier, sources from "Important Stories" reported that the leadership responsible for Ukrainian affairs in the 5th Service of the FSB provided the president with false intelligence data, according to which regions of the neighboring country supposedly awaited "liberation" from Kyiv and would join Russia as soon as an opportunity arose.
As a result, the Russian army was not prepared for massive resistance and suffered heavy losses: unable to quickly capture Kyiv, Chernihiv, or Kharkiv, the troops were forced to retreat in April 2022. Portal interlocutors indicated that the 5th Service, fearing to anger Putin, provided him only with the information he wanted to hear.
Source: "The Moscow Times", BBC
